Zatarain's Blackened Seasoning, 3 oz, 2 Pack

Zatarain's has been a New Orleans name since 1889, when Emile Zatarain began bottling root beer and crab boil across the river from the French Quarter. Its blackened seasoning is that Creole pantry in shaker form, built to darken as it cooks.

Blackening is a technique, not a burn. Chef Paul Prudhomme popularized it in the early 1980s with redfish: a heavily coated fillet goes into a cast iron skillet heated until it is close to smoking, and the butter and spices toast in seconds into a dark, aromatic crust while the inside stays moist. Scorched food tastes bitter and acrid; blackened food tastes toasted and deep.

Fish is the classic, and the same method works on chicken breasts, shrimp, pork chops and steak, indoors with the vent hood running or outdoors on a grill grate. The shaker also seasons rice, roast potatoes and a pot of red beans.